Twisted Deceptions
by Midnight Minute
Summary: AU. Sakura Haruno - social introvert and life's most unlikely heroine - has fallen upon a mysterious, new person. Possibly a mysterious, new relationship? Who knew it would all start from an innocent review on fanfiction?


Hey readers!

This is my newest story as of late, and I hope you find it to be as relatable to you as I find it to me, as it involves an area of life I am quite certain you are familiar with- fan fiction! I wanted to write a fun, fluff, feel good sort of story, and though a somewhat long series of events, this was the result.

Now before we get started, I think we all know what's coming. Prepare for the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: (who could have predicted this?) I do not own Naruto, its characters, plot lines, etc. Also, considering what I am writing about, I don't own , its stories, or its fellow authors. (That means you!)

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy :D

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Sakura walked into her apartment, wearily setting down her keys and heading into the kitchen. It had been a long hard day in the hospital, longer than usual. There had been a tornado that had gone through a town only an hour away and all staff had been called in for backup assistance. Even though she had only been there for a small four hour shift, each minute was frantic and fast paced, and now that it was all said and done, Sakura found she was exhausted.

_And I still have a test tomorrow._

Groaning at the thought, Sakura frowned, grabbing a granola bar and moving towards her computer desk to study. Regardless her job at the hospital and high rank among fellow nurses, Sakura was only a second year nursing student. The only reason she was even allowed to act as a nurse was because it was a small town, so rules about what rank could do what were broken to better accommodate the hospital's needs. In the end it worked out well for Sakura. Because of her naturally high intellect, she learned difficult procedures and regulations much quicker than an average student, and in turn was highly trusted regardless her lack of an actual degree.

However, it would be a lie to say that medical school was easy for her. Granted she did have the ability to learn quicker than most people, but Sakura was still human, and wasn't born with ultimate knowledge of all things medical. It seemed like every day she was staying up late to study, peeling her face off the books when she woke up in the morning, only to find she fell asleep studying, go to school, then to the hospital, then back home to do it all over again.

Right now it was utter hell, but Sakura had a dream and she would be damned before she gave it up without even trying.

Opening her text books, Sakura began studying the diagrams, tapping her fingers across the pages while she reviewed the information. The test material would be over the human eye, as well as its functioning and role within the brain. This was a study Sakura had always found to be interesting, so at this point, she knew the information very well. The test would actually be fairly easy for her, so after a short forty minute review session, Sakura closed the book, wondering what she would do with her spare time. It was barely ten o' clock, plenty of time to do _something._

She could call up a friend to go catch a new release at the movies, but considering it was a Wednesday night, Sakura wasn't sure if she would really have that much luck trying to connect with her friends so last minute in the middle of the week. None the less, Sakura thought it would at least be worth a shot. She really never got a lot of extra time like this – who knew when the opportunity would present itself again?

Picking up her phone, Sakura sent her friend Ino a text, _'hey im bored and got free time. Wanna hang?'_

Satisfied with her efforts, Sakura set the phone down beside her, turning to her computer and pulling up a web browser. While she waited for Ino's response, she would browse the world of fanfiction – her somewhat secret guilty pleasure in life. Not that she was embarrassed that she read fan fiction per say, she knew many people did, but for her, it really was an escape from reality. On fanfiction, her alias was 'Pink Little Snowflake' and she found it to be a great reprieve when she needed it most.

There was just something special about reading what other 'normal' people came up with; people just like her. Some were good, some bad, and some horribly cliché, yet to Sakura, they were all highly entertaining, and highly refreshing.

Sakura could spend hours lost in its web pages if she let herself, and often times she in fact did just that. She would often times go through phases where she would read only one type of story, be it from a cartoon or anime she liked, and then the next month read only fan fiction about a book she recently read.

Lately she had been on an anime phase, her particular anime of choice being _'Solitude's Ninja'_, a popular series about a girl whose family was killed by the yakuza and her attempts to avenge her family. Though the show's plot itself was rather dark, the added characters were extremely comical, giving the show more of a light edge when all was said and done, as well as a lot of room for aspiring fan fiction writers to play with.

Pulling up the search tool, Sakura typed in the main character's name, Yumi, and proceeded with her search. At the moment she wasn't in the middle of another story, so she was hoping to find a newer story that was going to be a good read, or at least provide her with a few good hours of reading if Ino never responded.

Reading across the various descriptions as she scrolled down the page, Sakura smiled to herself as she debated what to read. Normally she would stick to one shots and short drabbles that left you with a feel good sort of aura for the remainder of the day, but the more stories she browsed, the more set she became on looking for a longer story with a further developed plot line.

Coming across a story, Sakura read the description, finding it captivating enough to catch her attention from amongst the many others.

_Twisted Deceptions_ by Darkening Flame (reviews)  
Yumi held the gun over her heart, a voice coming from behind her trembling form, "Yumi, you know I can't let you do that." Yumi gave a long sigh, gripping the weapon tighter as silence blanketed the room. "Tell me something Ryuu, can you really stop me?" RYUUMI.  
_Solitude's Ninja – Rated T – English – Romance/Tragedy – Chapters: 5 – Words 26,487 – Reviews: 32 – Published 08-03-11 – Ryuu & Yumi_

Clicking on the story, Sakura skimmed over the author's note at the top, not paying much heed to the author's words that resounded so similarly to any other note on the site, beginning to read the story. From the very first sentence, Sakura's mind was captured into the vivid language and precise wording the writer used in their opening. It was poetic and graceful. Sakura could feel herself almost lost in the language, the word choice painting a place far more magical and beautiful than her world could ever be.

Their writing was so much different then her own, so much _better_.

Yes, Sakura had tried her hand at fan fiction, and though she couldn't quite say that she failed entirely, she quickly learned to envy other writers that seemed so naturally skilled. Whoever this person was, Dark Flame or whoever, Sakura felt immensely jealous of them. She could never come up with something like this no matter how hard she tried, and though she loved reading other stories that were so well written, she always wished that it could be her writing something so genius.

_People like this should skip fan fiction all together and go straight to a publisher!_

Sakura's thoughts of praise only continued as the story went onward though in time, she soon forgot about the writer all together and got simply lost in the story. Sakura could so easily relate to Yumi in this rendition of the anime. It all started with her meeting the same men that killed her family. The rage and passion, emotional devastation – Sakura felt as though she were actually there, in person, hearing the evil man laugh at her, telling her coldly that they left her alive because she was so pathetic, and too weak to kill.

As Sakura read, she mentally begged Yumi to fight them, prove to them that she wasn't weak, and wasn't useless. Sakura could relate all too well to the doubts and insecurities displayed by the main character, and maybe she couldn't easily fight her personal battles, but in the realm of fan fiction, surely Yumi could for her. Captured by the story, Sakura read onward, barely hearing her phone beep as her eyes scanned over the pages.

_Yumi clenched her hands into tightened fists, unshed tears stinging her eyes._

_"What?" she seethed out through pressed lips, the mere whisper still loud enough to echo across the small room._

_"You heard me. You're pathetic. You're family had been the head of the martial arts movement for generations and got in our way for the last time. Young as you were, I'm sure you remember," The taller man responded with a grin, showing off a set of paled yellow teeth. Yumi held her stance as the man continued, giving a bark of a laugh, "The battle was incredible, I mean I knew it would be, but still. I'll never forget it. Each of your family members possessed such insane skill."_

_He paused, his admiration turning into a dark scowl as he stood up, pointing down at her, "And then there was you. You were such a weakling."_

_"I was a little girl!" Yumi shouted back at the man, the first of her tears starting to spill down her cheeks. No. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She had imagined the man would shoot insults at her, but his insults would only add fuel to the fire and when the dust settled, she would walk away victorious. She was supposed to meet the man, see the fear in his eyes, and fight him to the death. She was going to avenge her family. She was going to verify her existence by ending his. _

_She would find peace. _

_Instead, she found she couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and couldn't even think. She could only hear his words sinking into her mind like a poison, destroying her from the inside out._

_"You just sat there, watching everything pass by. And what's worse, when they clearly had enough of their own problems, you would shout out for help; for them to come and save you."_

_Forcing herself to find her voice, Yumi spoke. She would not let him know just how much his words tore and bit into her. She would get her fight. She would make sure of it, "I'm not the same as I was then. I'm strong now and I want to fight you," Yumi lowered herself into a defensive position, raising her hands in preparation, "Fight me!" She demanded, forcing strength into her voice, staring at the man heatedly._

_The man looked her over for a small second, then shook his head, glaring down at her, "You're a joke, a disgrace to your family's name. Honestly I believe that you're strong now, but does it matter? You let them die! When they needed your help the most you just stood there and let them fight for you. Now you're ready to fight? Now? Hate to say it Princess, but it's a little too late for that; they're already dead. If you want vengeance, kill yourself. Sure I fought and killed, but you're the real criminal. You did nothing for your own family. We left you alive because there was no way a weakling like you was associated was such a great family. Who knew you were the family's heir?" _

_The man shook his head, smirking to himself and taking a long drink of whiskey. Turning back to her, the man continued "Considering your capacity for battle back then, I'd say I did everyone a big favor, not letting such a disgrace destroy such a powerful legacy. Martial arts weren't written in the stars for you Princess, anyone can see that. Now leave me be, and go do something else with you life. Be a dancer or actor, I could care less about someone like you. If I see you again, we will fight, and it won't turn out the way you want it to."_

_Yumi stared at the man, so lost and confused she didn't know what to do. All her life, she had trained, dreaming of this day - For what? What had she accomplished? The one time she needed to apply herself and be strong, she was weak. _

_Why did it always turn out like this? _

_Why was she so … useless?_

_"Did you hear me girl?" the man stated, his voice taking a dangerous edge to it as he stood up and waved his arms at her, "I said leave! Go on, get!" _

_Not sure how or why, Yumi found her legs were carrying her out of the building, down the ally way, and towards the edge of the city, running away once again._

_Why? _

_Why, why, why?_

_Out of anyone that had been left behind, why her? Why couldn't she do it? _

_Silence was her only answer. _

_Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii__  
__- End of Chapter One -_  
_iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii_

Sakura felt herself ease back into reality upon realizing that she had finished with the first chapter. To her surprise, her eyes were wide, her breathing was just slightly irregular, and her mouth hung open, a result from not wanting to believe that the chapter ended there.

_'Thank god there's more to the story…' _Sakura thought to herself as she scrolled down the page, reading over the author's note at the bottom, deciding this person was in fact worthy of her reading their personal notes now. They spoke over their appreciation to the fact that they were taking the time to read their story, and about how they were hoping to update on a bi-weekly basis.

Considering that it had been a good number of months later and the story was only on chapter five, Sakura found it safe to assume that the writer's plan to update every two weeks had gone horribly wrong. Finding this slightly amusing, Sakura shook her head at her personal observation, continuing to read the rest of the note. At the bottom stood a simple sentence Sakura had seen a million times, yet for whatever reason, she found it to be more convicting than usual.

_Please R&R. _

This was simple fanfiction jargon for read and review – something Sakura was rather terrible at remembering to do. In this case, she knew she should. This story was so captivating, and felt as though it belonged in the anime series. She loved the characters and how they were portrayed, it was just so well written. It deserved her response in some way or another.

Holding the mouse over the button, Sakura clicked on the submit feedback link and stared into the popup box, wondering what she would write down. This was another reason she didn't review often. She enjoyed reading the story- she did, but she really had no idea what she was supposed to say -Thanks for posting? Good job, update soon? You write a million times better than me but whatever, I liked it anyway?

Rolling her eyes, Sakura clicked on the typing field, staring at the screen for a long while before slowly typing in her message. She had no idea what made a good review, but she would just put in a few small sentences and move on.

_This was a very good read, enjoyed this chapter very much. Looking forward to reading the rest.__  
__- Little Pink Snowflake_

Feeling as though she had done her part, Sakura moved on to the next chapter, once again amazed at how well the story was written out. Reviewing and reading, Sakura made her way through each of the five chapters, finding she had more and more to say in her reviews as each chapter passed by.

_Still just as impressive. When Yumi goes back to her old house, I swear my heart stopped. It was so sad! I really enjoy how you show the reader why Yumi acts the way she does; it makes it so easy to get into the story. Great work!__  
__-Little Pink Snowflake_

_This is by far one of the best RYUUMI stories I have ever found! This particular chapter was so powerful now that she is really starting to face her inner demons, and the fact that she was ready to fight Ryuu too- Wow! Such a great emotional exchange between the two- it was described perfectly. I laughed with the character, felt her pain and bitterness, and was equally grateful for when Ryuu was able to step in further. I think Yumi is really relatable to a lot of people and your word choice conveys a clear message. Again, this story is great! I can't wait until you come out with the next chapter, hopefully that will be soon? Till then!__  
__- Little Pink Snowflake_

Smiling, Sakura gave a satisfied smile, looking over the last chapter of the story and exiting out of the internet browser, but not before adding it to her favorites list first. It had taken her a few good hours to read over the story, but it was time well spent in comparison. Pausing in thought as though she had missed something, Sakura frowned, audibly cursing to herself as she picked up her phone, only now remembering that Ino had texted her back long ago.

She had told herself she would review after the first chapter but she was so caught up in the story she just….

Oh well.

Opening her text, Sakura frowned, thought only felt vaguely guilty regardless.

10:17 '_Hey forehead, yeah I got time if u wanna hang out. what u thinkin?'_

10:23 _'heelllooo? U there?'_

10:33 '_well then, nvm I guess stuff came up? text back when u can'_

Typing back her message, Sakura made a small apologetic smile as though her sincerity would be conveyed through the message, _'Sorry Ino, got caught up reading. Bit 2 late now. C u in class tomorrow'_

Sakura set her phone down on the desk, smiling to herself as she began moving across her apartment, getting ready for bed. She did love reading fan fiction. It always put her in a good mood, especially when she found a good story like that to follow.

With her being so busy, she didn't really have time to go off and live out some crazy adventure, especially now that she was in college. Truth be told however, she had always been like that. Even in high school where the work load wasn't all that tedious, she still found that she put her studies far before her social life, actually, in place of her social life. Perhaps it was all just an inner defense to save her from being hurt, but Sakura found that by keeping herself detached from others, life was a lot simpler for her. She had tried to make friends once, back when she was a kid, but with her pink hair and forehead to consider, a lot of kids made fun of her. If she had to point to a reason she was so introverted, she assumed it would be then.

At times she would envy those around her, the girl at the park lying beside her presumable boyfriend, the girls giggling like idiots in the mall – those weren't moments that Sakura could often associate with, but she wasn't that good at making connections in the first place.

She was shy.

The only boy she had ever dated was a complete nerd back from Konoha High, Rock Lee was his name. He was a good guy, but the relationship was boring. She wasn't all that into him, but no one had really taken notice of her back then so it was exciting to her. Once the novelty of the relationship wore off, Sakura found that they didn't have almost anything in common, and she wasn't attracted to him in the least. He was too oblivious to even notice the relationship was one sided. After a long, long year of utter misery, Sakura broke things off with him and swore that she would never date a guy unless she were head over heals in love with the guy – like the girls she read about in fan fiction.

Since that point, countless guys had asked her out. Her pink hair made her stand out, and her job made her a good candidate that a guy could proudly take home to his folks. She never gave them a second look. Perhaps she was wishing for something that could never be, but Sakura really was looking for someone like the guys she read about in fan fiction.

Not a superhero, or some perfect guy with no flaws.

Sakura knew better than that, but someone charming - someone that knew just what to say, and had a beautiful heart and just enough character flaws to make him vulnerable and guarded. She wanted someone with a smile that could make her weak at the knees and make her stomach fill with butterflies each time they were around. She wanted her own fairytale really – what was so wrong with that?

Looking into the mirror as she brushed her teeth, Sakura spit into the sink, making a face at herself as if to scold her for thoughts.

_Now you are being ridiculous. You know very well that most fan fiction is written by girls. Of course all the guys are perfect – they are some girl's fantasy. You won't find a guy out there like Ryuu, or any other guy like that. Besides, most normal guys don't write fan fiction. Get real._

Sakura gave a small laugh, rinsing out her mouth and turning off all the lights before crawling into bed. Surely there was someone though right? People got married left and right in the 'real' world. There had to be someone out there that was right for her – just practically speaking. And if there was, would she have that heart throbbing, story-to-tell-the-kids relationship?

Shaking her head at the odd thought trail, Sakura gave a sigh and rolled onto her side. It didn't matter as a relationship really should be the last thing on her mind. It really was. She didn't want a relationship. Guys just complicated things. She was a med student, and didn't really have the time for anything else in her life. She had a test tomorrow, needed to make time to hang out with Ino, and plus she now had a story on her mind, along with the nagging thought of when the next update would come. Sakura was certain she just needed to give it a little time.

With patience, each issue would be worked out in due time. Until then though.

Iiiiiiiiiiiii

Sasuke felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, automatically pulling it out in the open to review the alert.

"Oi teme, whattizit? You'n tryinna bail on me right?" his loud friend Naruto shouted towards him, the alcohol clearly affecting the blonde.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, attempting to ignore his intoxicated friend, "Whatever dobe, just an email."

"How'dya like that?" Naruto asked, turning away from Sasuke and towards the girl he had brought along, throwing an arm over her shoulders, "I invite em to drink'n he jus' has one beer. Like, whaz'at about? No fun, that Sasuke!"

Attempting to further drown out the blonde's words, Sasuke stared into his phone, tapping on the screen to bring up his email account. Upon reading the subject and message highlight, the raven haired Uchiha found a smirk at his lips, earning even more protests from Naruto who demanded to know what was so funny. Shrugging, Sasuke put his phone back in his pocket, grabbing the bottle and taking a long drink of the sweet yellowish liquid. Reviewing the message in his head, Sasuke couldn't help but feel as though he somehow deserved to celebrate a bit.

"_ – A new review has been submitted for Ch. 5 of Twisted Deceptions_"

Yes. Simple as it might be, it was turning out to be a good night after all.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

And done! This is my first AU fic I've pretty much ever written, so I hope it goes well. I really like the concept and I hope this, again, is a fun read for everyone. I tried hard to capture the essence of what it feels like to go online and read fan fiction. Personally, I feel like writing and reading is a huge part of my life, and I assume it is for my readers as well all things considered. It's just that reading is such a identifying trait in someone, same with writing. The characters you identify yourself with often times reveal your strengths and weaknesses, aspirations and dreams...and writing? I feel that pretty much bears your soul and passion to the world.

I don't know. I just wanted to try to capture this feeling in words I suppose.

So, I feel evil saying this, but please R&R. Ehheee-heehee. Reference to the story within the story right here! Either way, whatever you decide to do, keep reading, and you better keep writing. I depend on it cause without it I can't even pretend to have a life ;)

Midnight


End file.
